BRYNILDSEN BRINGS WINNING AMBITION TO ERC

Posted: April 1, 2018 4:56 AM

Eyvind Brynildsen will embark on a major FIA European Rally Championship campaign, starting with Rally Islas Canarias from 3-5 May.

Brynildsen, a regular in the world championship, will drive a Ford Fiesta R5 for Autotek Motorsport. His programme will include the Acropolis Rally in Greece followed by the Cyprus Rally with a Rally di Roma Capitale run under consideration. The rapid Norwegian will then announce his schedule for the remainder of the campaign.

“The ERC is the best for me at the moment,” said Brynildsen, a class title winner in Norway last season. “It’s a championship with some of the best rallies of the year and the best fans and a championship I was very keen to try out after nearly 50 starts in the WRC.”

Brynildsen, who has recruited Anders Fredriksson to co-drive, revealed he would have begun his ERC campaign on the season-opening Azores Airlines Rallye had it not been for a new addition to the family. “My wife gave birth to our third child so we start off with Canarias and then move over to the most historic event of them all, the Acropolis Rally. Then we move to Cyprus and if all the pieces in the puzzle fall into the right places we will continue the championship and go on with Rally di Roma Capitale.”

The 30-year-old’s switch to the ERC will put him on a learning curve in terms of untried events, not that he’s fazed by the prospect. “I’m maybe not young and promising anymore, only promising! I have done quite a few rallies in my career and for many years I drove a truck and trailer in our family business, so my memory for roads is not too bad. I like the challenge with new rallies and it just motivates me to prepare myself better than anyone else.”

Of his decision to link up with Autotek, a team with an ERC event-winning pedigree, Brynildsen said: “Ken Skidmore and me have known each other for many years and Ken’s team is great. Each and every one puts an effort like 110 per cent at all time. I’m now hoping Alexey Lukyanuk [ERC title leader] gets a challenge from me when it comes to the show because I like to give the fans what they deserve.”

Jean-Baptiste Ley, the ERC Co-ordinator, said: “It’s great to welcome Eyvind Brynildsen to the ERC, a fast driver with a lot of experience at world level. The 2018 championship got off to a fantastic start with a record-breaking entry on the Azores Airlines Rallye, including 35 R5 cars. Eyvind will face strong competition but we have no doubt he’ll put on a strong show.”

AHLIN CHOOSES ERC FOR INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE

Posted: March 2, 2018 3:46 AM

Fredrik Åhlin has chosen the FIA European Rally Championship for his next challenge, stepping up from a successful season in the UK to bid for ERC Junior Under 28 category honours in 2018.

Co-driven by fellow Swede Joakim Sjöberg, Åhlin is set to contest a full roster of ERC events in a LeoVegas World Rally Team ŠKODA Fabia R5 run by British team CA1 Sport.

He will start his ERC adventure on the Azores Airlines Rallye from 22-24 March, having spent the last two seasons as a frontrunner in the MSA British Rally Championship.

“I had already decided before the last round of the British championship last year that I wanted a new challenge in 2018,” Åhlin explained. “Even though we lost the title by only one point, which was a hard ending, I am proud of what I achieved and I am so excited to start a new season in a new championship.”

With zero experience of the eight events that will make up the 2018 ERC calendar, Åhlin has tackled three rallies in his homeland in recent weeks – taking a win and a third – as he and Sjöberg bid to remain sharp.

“It started really well with an overall victory at the opening round of the Swedish championship,” said Åhlin. “Unfortunately we had to retire at Rally Sweden with technical issues. But every single kilometre me and Joakim could get together in a rally car was so important. Even though the outcome of Rally Sweden wasn’t what we hoped for, it was still a very productive few weeks.”

The 26-year-old continued: “I can’t thank enough everyone who has supported us to be able to do this year’s programme. It is not a secret that this wouldn’t be possible without the support from sponsors, friends and family. One thing is sure, we will enjoy every second of this year and I feel very motivated and focused on doing a good job and to collect valuable experience for new adventures in the future.”

Welcoming Åhlin to the European Rally Championship, ERC Co-ordinator Jean-Baptiste Ley, said: “We are really pleased Fredrik will be joining the ERC in 2018. We’ve been watching his career for a while and his decision to build his experience in a strong national championship has clearly been a benefit and deserves praise. Although he’s competed at a higher level in the past, Fredrik can look forward to building on his existing experience in a really competitive environment. And with a World Rally Car prize drive on offer to the ERC Junior U28 champion, a return to the global stage remains a possibility.”

Åhlin, who has made 21 starts at world level, is the grandson of the late Freddy Kottulinsky, a successful single-seater racer and former Dakar winner. Åhlin’s parents, Jerry Åhlin and Susanne Kottulinksy, were also rally drivers, while Fredrik’s sister Mikaela has gained experience in the Audi Sport TT Cup.

The FIA European Rally Championship will continue to feature eight events next season after the switch to a smaller schedule in response to feedback from teams proved a success when trialled in 2017.

Ratified at a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on the 6th December the calendar runs from March to October to ensure a regular flow of rallies.

ERC season 66 begins with the Azores Airlines Rallye on the Portuguese mid-Atlantic Ocean archipelago from 22-24 March and concludes on Latvia’s Baltic coast from 12-14 October for Rally Liepaja, where five coveted FIA titles were decided this year.

Two ERC mainstays, Rally Islas Canarias and Barum Czech Rally Zlín, occupy their now traditional early May and late August slots respectively, while the Cyprus Rally keeps its mid-June date, two weeks after the legendary Acropolis Rally in Greece*.

Rally Poland returns to the ERC roster for the first time since triple European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz won his home event in 2013, while there’s a July date for Rally di Roma Capitale, which brought Italy back to the ERC fold last September.

The gravel-based Rally Poland takes over from the all-asphalt Rally Rzeszow as the Polish ASN’s European championship counter for the season ahead when it celebrates its 75th edition.

Structured once again in response to calls from drivers and teams who were keen to cap their number of competitive outings at between six and eight events, the ERC calendar includes three rallies on asphalt and five on gravel (three on each surface for ERC Junior Under 27 and ERC Junior Under 28). There are no clashes between the ERC and world championship schedules.

Drivers in ERC1 and ERC3 count their best six scores from eight, while it’s four from six in ERC Junior Under 28 and ERC Junior Under 27. For the first time, ERC2 and the ERC Ladies’ Trophy competitors will count their best four scores from eight. The FIA European Rally Championship for Teams, which was restructured to great effect in 2017, will count the best six scores from eight by registered entrants.

ERC Co-ordinator Jean-Baptiste Ley said: “We’re very pleased to announce the FIA European Rally Championship calendar for the 2018 season when we will continue to run eight events in response to feedback from our drivers and teams. It says a great deal about the popularity and success of the ERC, in particular the restructured ERC Junior Championship and European Rally Championship for Teams, that we will continue to work with the same national federations as we did in 2017 and we look forward to strengthening those ties and making improvements wherever possible for our mutual benefit.”

Promoted by Eurosport Events under a 10-year agreement with motorsport’s world governing body and run first in 1953, the FIA European Rally Championship is the ultimate training ground for young hopefuls aiming for the top. Providing a clear path of progression from national level to the world stage, the oldest international rally series in existence is also open to all-comers, meaning age is no barrier to competing.

ERC RALLIES IN 100 WORDS

Azores Airlines Rallye (22-24 March) Based on the mid-Atlantic archipelago’s largest island of São Miguel, the rally celebrated its half-century in 2015 and remains one of the most spectacular events on the international calendar. Stages criss-cross breath-taking scenery and lush countryside and are characterised by their sandy surface and narrow and undulating nature. And because the timed tests are often no wider than the width of a car, there is simply no margin for error, particularly on the Sete Cidades test along the rim of a volcanic crater lake. Changeable weather is also a factor with conditions switching from sunshine to showers and fog patches.

Rally Islas Canarias (3-5 May) With the stages climbing and descending at a frequent rate, drivers pay close attention to corner speed and lines to ensure optimal momentum is maintained, while precise car set-up and pacenote accuracy are vital. One of the notable features of the sealed stages is the abrasive surface, constructed partly from volcanic lava. It means grip levels are high and remain constant if it rains, although tyre wear can increase. However, with the opportunity to take ‘cuts’ through corners limited, the roads remain relatively debris-free. Returning to the ERC schedule in 2016, it’s a rally big on challenge and spectator numbers.

Acropolis Rally (1-3 June) For more than 60 years, the Acropolis Rally has made heroes and broken hearts. Throughout that time, its legendary status has remained undiminished with the 2017 edition offering the usual mix of triumph (for Kajetan Kajetanowicz) and despair (for Nikolay Gryazin, who was leading when his car was gutted by fire). An ERC regular until 1968, the event returned to the European championship in 2014 when Loutraki on the banks of the Gulf of Corinth hosted the 60th running, a mixed-surface affair. Now run in partnership with the OMAE Greek federation on gravel only, Lamia has been home since 2016.
Cyprus Rally (15-17 June) Since 1970, the Cyprus Rally has put car and crew to a significant test. And while the current format is a little less taxing than it once was, underestimating the challenging nature of this rallying heavyweight would be a big mistake. To mark its return to the ERC roster in 2014 for the first time since 1999, a ground-breaking street stage through the United Nations-controlled Buffer Zone between Nicosia’s Greek Cypriot and Turkish inhabited areas was organised and generated considerable interest. Although fundamentally a gravel rally, Tarmac sections feature while the June date makes for punishing ambient and ground temperatures.

Rally di Roma Capitale (20-22 July) The progression of this exciting asphalt event, organised and promoted by Motorsport Italia, has been remarkable. Having run for the first time in 2013, Rally di Roma Capitale made its ERC debut in 2017 as Italy returned to the European championship for the first time since 2013 when Rallye Sanremo was on the calendar. It proved a big hit with a driving parade through the centre of Rome, a spectacular spectator stage around the Palazzio della Civiltà del Lavoro in the EUR district, followed by two days of action-packed rallying on stages to the east and south-east of the capital.

Barum Czech Rally Zlín (24-26 August) Ever-present in the ERC since the championship’s streamlining in 2004, Barum Czech Rally Zlín is based in the South Moravian university city, 300 kilometres south of the Czech capital Prague. It is a Tarmac test like no other due to the bumpy and sometimes broken nature of the road surface. To add to the challenge, several stages feature high-speed blasts through forests and intermittent showers are always possible. While the weather might be hard to predict, huge numbers of fans follow the action, especially on the opening night-time Zlín superspecial stage. The rally has a long-term contract with the ERC.

Rally Poland (21-23 September) One of the world’s oldest rallies is back on the ERC calendar in 2018 after a five-year break as Rally Poland replaces Rally Rzeszow as the country’s round of the European championship for its 75th edition. First run in 1921, Rally Poland’s home since 2005 has been Miko?ajki in the picturesque Mazurian lake district, a three-hour drive north from the capital Warsaw, where high-speed all-gravel stages are commonplace. And it was in Miko?ajki where Kajetan Kajetanowicz first emerged as a major force in the ERC, taking the win in 2013 prior to beginning his record-breaking title treble sequence in 2015.

Rally Liepaja (12-14 October) The brainchild of rally driver turned promoter Raimonds Strokšs and first run to great acclaim in 2013, Rally Liep?ja was originally a winter event but switched to the autumn for 2016. The new date effectively made for an all-new rally as crews adjusted to gravel stages free of snow and ice. Although the time of year had changed, the high-speed stages in western Latvia continued to thrill drivers and spectators alike. And with its new format now firmly established, this forward-thinking rally serves as a fitting season finale with Liepaja proving to be a popular destination for fans and competitors.